


Fairy Circles and Neon Lights

by glaciya



Series: JayTim Week-AUs and Tropes [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Dancing, Fairy AU, Fairy Circles, Ginger Jason, M/M, Night Clubs, Seelie Jason, Unseelie Tim, because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 05:44:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14037441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glaciya/pseuds/glaciya
Summary: The night before his wedding to a complete stranger, Tim wanders into a human club, hoping to take his mind off things by drinking, dancing, and maybe casting a few jinxes on unsuspecting humans. He doesn’t expect to meet another Fae from an enemy court while he’s there.





	Fairy Circles and Neon Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is a prompt fill for Jaytimweek's day three prompt: Arranged Marriage/Fantasy AU. I hope you all enjoy it :D

“Are the preparations almost finished?” The soldiers, who Tim had caught taking an unnecessary second break, jump guiltily and return to work, knowing better than to try to excuse their actions. Satisfied that the camp is back in the process of being set up for the night, Tim leaves to find Cassandra. 

They were finally on the last day of their journey to the Middle Ground, the only area in their land not fully claimed by either the Seelie or Unseelie court. And it would remain that way, thanks to the new treaty they were finalizing within the next twenty-four hours.

After three centuries of war, the two courts finally arrived at a tentative peace. Middle Ground was going to be the first of many steps to strengthen their new alliance. The treaty, signed by both kings, stated that the settlement would be ruled equally by both courts, which meant a marriage between the factions. A marriage Tim was obligated to, as the prince of the Unseelie Court. He would meet his new fiancé, a member of the Seelie Court, for the first time tomorrow. 

He finds Cassandra with the horses, holding an apple up for one of them to munch on as she runs a hand along his neck. She greets him with a small smile and a nod when he moves to stand next to her. 

“Ready for tomorrow?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he sighs. 

She gives him a look that somehow reads as both a sincere apology and, an unspoken,  _ there are people who have been through much worse than you _ . He already knows that of course, knows he’s being childish for being upset over being part of the movement to end the war. But should he really feel any accomplishment for simply following an order that his father, the king, gave him?

He hasn’t thought once of backing out of it- he’d never do something that selfish- but he wishes he could at least know anything about his betrothed. The Seelie court had been very secretive about who they were choosing as their representative, so all Tim knew was that it would be someone of royal blood...which left a lot of options. They could be spoiled, obnoxious, or even worse, an idiot. 

He visits with Cassandra as long as he can, taking her comfort in her silent support until he has to go check on his men again. 

As soon as everyone except for the night watch has gone to sleep, Tim sneaks out of the camp and heads for the portal to the human realm he can sense that’s less than half a mile away. He only has one night left of freedom, and he plans on making the most of it. 

He travels on foot, not wanting to risk his men being able to see him in the sky. Even so, it hardly takes any time at all to get to the portal, a circle of mushrooms in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. All it takes is a few drops of Fae blood from a small cut Tim slices in his palm to activate it. As it lights up, he notices dried blood speckled on one of the mushrooms near his. Another Fae must have used it recently.

He activates his Glamor before stepping into the light, creating an illusion to hide his wings and pointed ears, and changing his outfit to something resembling more of the typical human fashion. Once he’s satisfied he can pass for a college-aged human, he finally steps into the portal. 

The portal takes him to one of their major cities and, even though Tim was expecting it, it still takes a moment for his senses to adjust to all the loud noises and the stink of pollution in the air. But once he does, he can use it to his advantage to find the nearest night club. 

Clubs were one of Tim’s favorite places to visit to cause mischief to humans, a common past time of the fae. But Tim had standards for which type of people he would play tricks on, unlike most of his Court. He refused to prey on people who seemed innocent, and was often teased fFr having a Seelie mindset since Seelies were often more playful with their pranks and not vicious, like the Unseelie tended to be. Tim pranks to have some fun or relieve stress, but never to hurt anyone. 

There’s a line from the club entrance all the way down the block, which increases Tim’s excitement as he marches straight up to the bouncer. 

“Let me in.” He speaks before the bouncer has time to address him and watches as his Compulsion gives the bouncer’s eyes a bright dazed look.

“Of course.” The bouncer steps aside unable, as most humans are, to resist an order given to him by the Fae. Tim smirks at the outraged cries of the people waiting in line as he slides past the bouncer into the club, wondering unapologetically how long they’ve been waiting to get in. 

The music inside is loud enough that Tim can feel the vibration in his bones, but he can still see various people trying to have conversations, their bodies glowing neon thanks to the lighting as they lean in close to shout in each other’s ear. 

He spots his first target almost immediately. It’s a man into another, clearly uninterested, man’s space. Tim waits briefly, giving the man a chance to back off on his own before he casts the spell. It’s harmless really, just a hex that’ll give him the hiccups every time he tries to speak for the next few minutes, but it serves its purpose to amuse Tim and the other man who had been receiving the unwanted advances. 

He takes his time picking out the next target, still humored by the first man’s progressive frustration as the hiccups keep interrupting his flirtation attempts until he finally leaves the other guy alone, but then he overhears one of the bartenders talking to her friend. She’s serving a table where her crush is seated and, even though the bartender’s friend is encouraging her to make a move, the bartender is too nervous. 

So Tim takes matters into his own hands, causing her shoelaces to tangle together just as she’s walking in front of her crush and making her fall into her crush’s lap. However, before he can fully enjoy the moment, a tap on his shoulder draws his attention away from the pair. He turns and sighs when he spots the man he had jinxed earlier sitting beside him, grinning eagerly.

“Hello.” He’s able to speak clearly again so Tim’s jinx must have worn off.  _ This must be what the humans call karma _ , Tim thinks, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. 

“Not interested,” Tim says flatly, turning his attention across the bar. His lips quirk when he notices the bartender laughing with her crush. 

“Well I’m sure interested in that lovely smile of yours.” The smile drops as quickly as it came while Tim twists back around, a second more vicious jinx on his lips, when a new voice speaks up.

“He said he wasn’t interested. Go away.” It surprises Tim when the man in front of him pales and backs away without an argument, but when he gets a look at the newcomer, he understands. 

The man now sitting beside him is large, tank top showing off tan biceps and broad shoulders. He’s handsome in a striking way,  with his teal eyes and wild red hair accented with a streak of white in the bang. He has several scars along his face and neck, and a strange swirled pattern that Tim has never seen before tattooed in red down his right arm.

“Handsome and useful. I like that,” Tim says when it doesn’t seem like they are going to get past just staring at each other anytime soon. “Buy me a drink,” he orders. “Something sweet.”

A curious expression crosses the stranger’s face, but he follows the order without argument, amusement decorating his tone as he orders Tim a strawberry daiquiri. Tim eagerly takes a large sip as soon as the drink is handed to him, ignoring the chuckle coming from next to him. It’s one of his favorites, not that the stranger could have known that.

“What’s your name?” Tim asks a few moments later when he pulls away from his now half empty cup. He’s starting to feel a little flustered with the undivided attention from the man sitting next to him. Even after Tim is clearly more interested in the daiquiri, he still continues to watch Tim with an odd little smile.

“I’m Jason,” he says as if even that is funny to him. “And you are?”

“Tim,” he answers simply, going back to his drink and feeling disappointed when he notices how fast it’s gone. “I want another one of these.”

“How about you dance with me first, and then maybe I’ll buy you all the drinks you want.” Jason slides off his stool before Tim can answer, leaving him with the option of staying at the bar or following. Tim huffs out a breath before following Jason, he’ll at least keep anyone more annoying away from him. 

Dancing in clubs is different from dancing in parties hosted by the Unseelie court that Tim is used to. Half of the people surrounding them are either too drunk to move with any coordination, or practically having sex on the dance floor. 

So they dance. Jason is neither sloppy nor perverse when he moves with Tim, pulling him close but keeping a tiny amount of space between them. They don’t follow the fast beat of the music, instead swaying at a slower pace. It somehow makes the dance feel more intimate than if they were grinding like the couples surrounding them.

The song ends and another one starts, but Tim finds himself no longer caring about going back to the bar. By the end of the third song there is no space between them. Jason’s eyes are bright and alluring under the neon lights, and Tim’s drawn even closer by them. He feels a bead of sweat drip down his temple to the corner of his mouth. Jason’s eyes follow it with an intensity that leaves no question as to what is on his mind. 

A hopeful thought flickers through Tim’s mind, that he could share his first kiss with someone he’s at least had a conversation and a dance instead of having it at his wedding. 

_ At his wedding. _

Tim catches himself the moment before their lips touch, shoving Jason away and quickly slipping through the crowd around them to get to the exit. He thinks he hears Jason calling for him, but chooses to ignore it. He had certainly gotten what he came here for, because for just a moment out on that dance floor with Jason, he had forgotten that he had a fiancé waiting to meet him tomorrow. 

***

“Wait!” 

The shout comes from behind Tim, in the grove where the fairy circle lies. He has already passed into his home realm, which means no human could have followed him, but when he turns around there Jason stands. 

It’s not the Jason he saw at the club, the trip through the portal would have gotten rid of Glamor he was carrying like it did with Tim.  His features are sharper now-eyes brighter, cheekbones more pronounced, and lips fuller.

Without the human clothes, he stands in only scarlet cloth pants that stop midway down his calf. Even his feet are bare. The red tattoo on his arm is still there, only now that he’s shirtless Tim can see that extends onto his chest and down his ribs onto his hip. Seeing it in its entirety nearly triggers a memory in the back of his mind that he can’t quite make out. 

“Do you know who I am?” Jason speaks once it finally sets in that Tim isn’t going to start the conversation.

“I know you are Seelie, which means us talking is forbidden.”

“The treaty is being signed tomorrow.”

“It is not tomorrow yet.”

“Then why haven’t you left?”

Tim opens his mouth, closes it, then glares at Jason’s smug grin. “I don’t need to explain myself to you. I’m-”

“Prince Timothy of the Unseelie Court Drake house, I know,” Jason answers in an infuriatingly patient way. He crosses his arms over his chest, the movement drawing Tim’s eyes once again to the markings decorating his torso. It finally comes to him then.

“You’re the Red Knight,” he says softly in wonder. Red Knight was a legend, even in Unseelie lands. He had never once lost a battle for his king. “What are you doing in Middle Ground? Are the Seelie planning on breaking the truce?”

“Definitely not! The king has wanted peace since before I was born. He’d never jeopardize this,” Jason pauses before he speaks again. “I’m here to ensure the treaty goes through.” 

“And you thought dancing with and nearly kissing your prince’s future husband at a human club was the best way to do that?”

Jason’s neck flushes pink, but he stare remains unwavering. “And what were you thinking, when you nearly kissed me?” 

“I wasn’t thinking at all,” Tim laughs humorlessly. “That was why I went out tonight.”

“Must be a hard life for the little prince.” Jason starts to move toward him, in slow but graceful steps.

“Don’t presume to know anything about me, Knight.” Tim stands his ground stubbornly. 

“What if I say that it’s a  _ fact _ , not a presumption that I know you are dangerously good at dancing,” Jason smirks. “And it’s a  _ fact _ that you wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss you.”

The distance between them grows shorter and shorter, with Jason closing it and Tim frozen in his spot. It could be a trick, a small rational voice whispers in the back of his mind, something for the Seelie to hold against him. But Tim knows there’s no way Jason could be faking the want that rests behind his gaze, seeming to ignite his teal eyes with a passion Tim’s never felt directed toward him before. 

So he doesn’t stop Jason from completely closing the distance between them, in fact he moves up on his toes when Jason is near enough to help close the gap. He expects Jason’s kiss to be consuming, a fire that would burn through his veins, but it’s not that at all. 

It’s slow, soft, and sweet. Like there’s another side to Jason hiding behind the cocky demeanor he’s showed off thus far. The fire is still there, but instead of consuming Tim it spreads gentle warmth through his lips all the way down to his toes. Jason kisses Tim like he’s something to be cherished.

Tim’s never heard someone describe a kiss as wonderfully addicting, but that’s what kissing Jason is like. Tim is sure he could keep kissing him forever and, based on Jason’s quiet but enthusiastic noises, he’s not wanting to stop anytime soon. 

A twig snaps off to their right. “Found you.”

Cassandra’s voice doesn’t worry him enough to startle him out of the daze the kiss had left him in, but when Jason summons a long red blade, he finds himself hurrying to block Jason’s path forward.

“She’s a friend,” he says quickly, placing a palm on Jason’s chest. Jason stops immediately but he’s still looking warily toward where Tim assumes Cass his behind him. “She won’t tell anyone about this, right Cass?”

When he looks over his shoulder at Cass, he sees her lift an index finger to touch her lips in the human’s  _ be quiet _ gesture. She makes a quiet shushing noise to go along with it, eyes twinkling as she does so, and looks horribly amused for someone who was just a target of the Red Knight.

“Should leave now,” she says after her silent promise. “Big day tomorrow.”

Tim nods at her before turning back to Jason. “I have to go,” he says unnecessarily, and hates himself for the apologetic tone in the words.

“I know.” Jason gives him a soft smile before taking a step away from him. “Sleep well, little prince. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The reminder of his wedding sets a lump in his throat that he can’t swallow down, so he just nods instead of using words before he turns to Cassandra. 

Tim’s not really in a talking mood during their walk back to camp, and Cassandra seems to sense it so they travel in silence until they’re right outside Tim’s tent. 

“Enjoy yourself?” Her left brow is raised a tiny fraction above the right.

“Yes,” he says unabashed, then sighs. “And no. I don’t know how I’m going to spend a lifetime of kissing someone else when I know how wonderful Jason’s kisses are.” 

“You won’t have to.” Cassandra gives a rare and heartfelt laugh at Tim’s surprised look. “We received word from the Seelie king while you were out having fun. The Red Knight is the one they have chosen to honor the peace treaty.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked this, feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos and if you want to check out my Tumblr where I post previews for upcoming fics you can check that out here:  
> [Glaciya](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/glaciya)


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